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trailer tongue

Big_Eddy, It sounds like you are describing a totally different animal than I am describing.
When asked about using channel for the tongue, I'm assuming ev372 is talking about using a 50 degree A-frame coupler with the channel standing with the 3" side vertical. A lot of people use this method and it works for them. I on the other hand don't like channel tongues for a number of reasons. The first being the channel has a square edge and the mounting area inside the coupler is rounded. Second is the fact that the wiring harness can be concealed much better, faster and easier, and third reason is that I believe channel flexes more than the box tube. Fourth reason , it's my personal opinion that box tube is easier and neater to work with. Depending on the trailer I use 3" x 2" x 11 ga. or 4" x 2" x 11 ga. box tube and in some cases I will use 6" x 2" x 7 ga for heavier trailers. For the basic utility trailer 2x3 will be more than sufficient.

The tongue you described is a straight single tube coupler and is something I would never consider using on any trailer I build. Dave

If necessity is the Mother of Invention, I must be the Father of Desperation!

Dave,
You are right on target about the 50 degree coupler and the 3" channel laid on its side. This is one of the ideas i got from looking at several trailers. The 2" x 3" angle for the tounge on other trailers seemed to light for a 6' x 12' trailer, ie: today i saw a lawn service trailer, 6x12; the guy had a riding mower all the way to the front. And the were the tounge went under the trailer It was bowed like a swayback horse. I like the box tube you mentioned, I will look into that. Still calling around too see if i can better prices on steel. thanks for the pics and I do have a basic idea of what your talking about on the steps, the more i read and look at the pics i will figure it out. Thanks, Eric

steel prices

ev372, Have you tried getting prices from Modern Welding in Orlando? They have been consistently lower in price than some of the others and no delivery costs. If you need a phone # for them let me know. Also I don't know if they deliver to the west coast but they do deliver here to the east coast on Mon. and Thurs. Dave

If necessity is the Mother of Invention, I must be the Father of Desperation!

There are two kinds of utility trailers. The first is the trailer that has been overloaded and the second is the trailer that will be overloaded.

Most trailers I see broken down on the side of the road are when the tongue assy breaks where it comes out from under the main trailer box/frame. consider using a triangulating brace going from the top of the trailer box forward to to just aft of the coupler. also box in the tongue angle where it comes out from under the trailer box. don't see boxing in the full length however.

two types of trailers

glockdoc, you're kinda right about that. Most of the trailers you see with the bent tongues or broken axles from being overloaded are generally the "box store" type of trailer. Although they claim to be a 3500 lb. trailer a lot of them are not capable of carrying the payload. Some of these "box store" trailer builders think that because the axle says 3500 lbs, and the springs are rated at 1750 lbs. each, the trailer is now a 3500 lb. trailer.

Most of these "box store" trailers are not intended for commercial use and it should be stated as such on the Certificate of Origin. I try to build mine with the worst case scenario in mind but you can't prevent idiots from being idiots. No matter how much you over build them they are still gonna tear them up.

In most cases the trailer with the bent tongue or broken axle is from being loaded improperly to begin with. I recently replaced the tongue from a "other brand" trailer, the owner loaded a 15,000 lb. back hoe on a 7000lb. trailer. Did it bend from poor engineering or poor quality materials, no it bent from owner stupidity.

Another point I would like to try and bring up about this over build topic is the fact that if you take a good look at the trailers broke down on the side of the road, how many of them are good condition compared to the ones you see that have suffered years of neglect and abuse. Take a look at the vehicle being used to tow these trailers and I would bet they are in just about as poor a condition of the broke down trailer. This is just like anything else, you get what you pay for. You buy cheap, you buy again, you buy quality, you never buy again. If you take care of trailer and use it properly it will last a long, long time. Dave

If necessity is the Mother of Invention, I must be the Father of Desperation!

i used to build trailers at a small factory,now i just build a few customs.i build em all out of tube,and 39 is correct in saying 2 x 3 tube will fit the bill on most all common utility trailers,and i agree it is much neater.i hide all my wiring in the tubes.

got to build one right now for a contractor,ordered the axles this morning,2- 7000lb dexters with brakes on both,gonna build this one out of 11ga 2 x 4 tube.

imo,tube is a little higher but makes a much better product.you can miter all the corners for the frame and any railing and not have any open ends which looks great.just my opinon

Dave,
Thanks for the offer. If you can send me a number that would be great. My email address is: ev372@msn.com I dont mind driving to Orlando; its only 45 min. away to possibly save some bucks. Hey, I can stop at the Bass Pro Shop while Im there ; well there goes my saving from the steel On Monday Im going to call a place in Lakeland to check there prices.
Quick question- do you use the box tube for the frame or the angle for the frmae? i like that idea of using box tube but concered about the additional weight. Thanks again to everyone for the help, Eric

it all depends on trailer usage

Quick question- do you use the box tube for the frame or the angle for the frmae?

It all depends on the actual usage of the trailer. If the buyer says he's only gonna use it for recreational purposes and isn't going to haul real heavy stuff, I will go with angle for the main frame. If he tells me he's gonna use it in his construction business I will step it up a little bit. As I said earlier in this post,I do not have any set plans for trailers. I just try to build them to their owners needs. Sometimes angle is all you need, sometimes I will go with channel, and sometimes I go with the box tube.

If you are planning to use the trailer as a general (light) duty trailer and don't haul bunks of plywood or pallets of sod on a regular basis an angle frame would be fine for the average home owner type of trailer. Dave

If necessity is the Mother of Invention, I must be the Father of Desperation!